


Salieri

by HolyTrinity



Series: AmadeuS [2]
Category: Topp Dogg (Band)
Genre: Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-28
Updated: 2015-01-28
Packaged: 2018-03-09 12:39:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 19,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3250007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HolyTrinity/pseuds/HolyTrinity





	1. Chapter 1

Byungjoo’s pov

_It was dark. Everything was enveloped in darkness and there wasn’t a single source of light. I turned in a circle, terrified of the darkness attempting to swallow me whole. “Hello? Is anyone there?” I called out, but I didn’t get a response._

_I bit my lip, slowly taking a step forward. When I did so, I was suddenly bathed in light. It seemed generic, as if I was standing underneath a lamp. I called out again, but yet again, I didn’t get a response._

_I turned again, but instead of coming up empty, I saw a path behind me. Hesitant, but with no other choice, I followed the path. The generic light shining down on me didn’t follow, but the path glowed enough to keep me from being blind._

_It felt like I was following the path for centuries until I saw a lump. At first, I had absolutely no idea what it was, but as I got closer, I saw that it was a person curled up in the fetal position._

_Panicked, I rushed towards them and crouched beside them, pressing my hand to their shoulder. “Are you okay?” I asked. Instead of getting an answer the person groaned and rolled over. My eyes widened when I saw Hansol’s face, no longer the serene mask I saw before Jenissi took him away._

_He looked like he was in pain, excruciating pain and I wanted nothing more than for it to stop. I shook the older, wanting him to wake up but no matter what I did, he didn’t wake up._

_“Stop that you idiot.” My eyes shot up and landed on Jenissi. Why is it always him that I’m seeing? Is he the leader of the group? Jenissi was back in the outfit I saw him in when we first met so he kind of blended in with the darkness surrounding us._

_“What’s wrong with him?” I asked, turning my gaze back to Hansol. “Physically? Nothing. You’re dreaming.” Jenissi replied. “I don’t understand.” I muttered. Jenissi sighed and I’m pretty sure he rolled his eyes._

_“They don’t teach you shit at school do they?” he asked and I just took it as a rhetorical question._

_“Wizards are very peculiar beings. Their emotions tend to get the best of them which is the main reason it’s so easy for them to fall. You feel guilty about Hansol falling, you think it’s your fault. So you’re dreaming him up.” Jenissi explained in a terribly bored tone._

_“So he’s not really like this?” I asked. “Oh he is. Hansol’s having a nightmare as we speak. Considering both of you are extremely emotional at the moment, you connected with him, but he hasn’t connected back.”_

_“Then why are you here?” I asked. Jenissi tilted his head to the side and appraised me slowly before shrugging. “Lions are known for being guardians. Take that statement as you will.” He replied, and I could tell he picked his words carefully._

_“What is he dreaming about?” I asked, looking at Hansol who was currently whimpering pitifully. “Would you like to see?” Jenissi asked instead. Hesitantly, I nodded. Jenissi stepped closer and the darkness seemed to move with him, as if he were connected to it._

_Jenissi didn’t seem to notice as he crouched down by Hansol’s head. He pressed his right hand to Hansol’s forehead and the other to mine as he smirked. “You ready for one hell of a ride?” he asked. I didn’t get the chance to answer before my vision went dark. I knew I hadn’t passed out because I could hear wind rushing past me and a weird screeching noise._

_However, when I blinked, the sounds were gone. Actually, that’s a lie. The rushing wind and the screeching was gone, but someone was yelling at the top of their lungs. I opened my eyes and looked around, realizing that I was in a house, the bathroom to be exact._

_I didn’t have much time to think about it considering the yelling was getting louder along with someone awfully young apologizing. Worried, I stepped out of the bathroom, quickly heading towards the sound._

_I entered what had to be the living room and I was horrified at what I saw. It was like déjà vu really. Hansol was on the floor in the fetal position, but he was much younger, and he wasn’t alone. Standing over him like a menacing shadow was his father._

_His face was an angry red as he yelled at the boy curled up on the floor. Broken items were thrown around the room and most of it seemed to be glass. Sitting on the couch, watching with a blank expression, was Hansol’s mother. What was going on? Why wasn’t she doing anything?_

_“This isn’t the first time this has happened, and it’s not the last either.” I turned, surprised to see Jenissi standing there. I knew he was a dark shifter, but I had never seen him look the part until now. Jenissi’s fists were clenched tightly and the shadows in the room swirled around him like a huge living mass._

_His eyes were completely black and his jaw was clenched tightly. He looked terrifying as he watched. “She’s never stepped in, and she never will.” He finished, his eyes never leaving Hansol’s body._

_Hansol was protecting himself as much as he could and from here I could see that he was hurt. Hansol’s father didn’t seem to care as he continued yelling at the child. “You little bastard! We only ask one thing of you and you failed. Just one thing!” the man roared, seeming more like a shifter than anything else._

_Hansol sobbed out a sorry that was unheard as the man continued to yell. I could tell this had been happening for a while judging by the hoarseness in the man’s voice. “This is what Hansol dreams about, it still haunts him. Not too long ago, this was his reality.” Jenissi muttered._

_The shadows surrounding him were moving at a rapid pace by now, and I noticed that they stretched behind him, crawling up the walls in the shape of a fierce lion.  “You can’t stop it?” I asked. “Not in his dreams no, not while they’re still alive. It’ll be over soon anyway.” That sentence bothered me, but before I could think on it, Hansol was moving._

_His father watched as the boy stood up on legs that almost gave out on him. We watched as he disappeared into the kitchen only to return moments later with a bucket in his hands. He wobbled as he made his way over to where he’d been laying and I realized they were making him clean his own blood up._

_“What kind of people are they?” I asked, utterly disgusted, turning towards Jenissi. I couldn’t stand to watch what was going on any longer. Jenissi smiled, but there was nothing happy about it. It was like he was in predator mode, and his teeth seemed sharper._

_“They’re dead people.” My eyes widened, but Jenissi was suddenly reaching out for me. “And it’s time for you to wake up. You’ve been a little too loud for your roommate.” And with that, Jenissi shoved me, hard. I couldn’t catch myself as I fell, but instead of hitting the living room floor, I went through it._


	2. Chapter 2

My eyes snapped open and I jumped up. I was breathing hard as I looked around the room in confused terror. Where was I? “Hey! Hey, calm down. You’re okay, everything’s okay.” I whipped around, nearly head-butting Hojoon in the face with my momentum. He moved back in time and I flushed in embarrassment.

“I’m sorry,” I said. Hojoon waved his hand, completely unbothered by my accidental attempt at knocking him out. “You missed. Are you alright?” he asked instead, actually looking concerned for my wellbeing. I thought about it, deciding that there was nothing wrong with me physically, and besides the anxiety and guilt I felt about the whole Hansol situation, I was fine, and I told Hojoon so.

The older nodded and patted my shoulder gently. “I was really worried about you kid, you were making a lot of noise.” He commented. I apologized, but he waved away, his worry melting into curiosity.

“What were you dreaming about, if I may ask?” I swallowed deeply, deciding it’d be best to inform him of what I saw. When I finished, Hojoon looked sad, but also thoughtful. “What? What are you thinking?” I asked. “Hansol’s parents aren’t dead.” He replied.

For a minute, I was completely confused. What did that have to do with anything? However, it didn’t take long for it to click and I shot up. “We have to tell the others!” Hojoon stared at me for a moment before nodding in agreement. “I know where they are,” he said.

We found them in the gymnasium. Seogoong and P-Goon were seated on the bleachers whilst Nakta and A-Tom stood across from each other in the middle of the gym. Kidoh looked a bit like a referee as he nodded towards the two. Nakta was wearing a dark t-shirt with matching sweats whilst A-Tom wore a tight fitting muscle shirt and sweats.

His red hair was tied up neatly and he looked the image of majestic. Both knights were holding swords, but their positions were different. Nakta looked more like he was about to begin fencing whilst A-Tom stood in a more relaxed position, his sword close to his body as he waited, one arm curled behind his back. Both were sweating lightly which meant this hadn’t been their first round, or maybe it was, but it was coming to a close.

Hojoon was the one to get their attention. I’d been too awed by the idea of getting to see the knights spar that I had forgotten the reason for coming in. Soon, we were standing near the bleachers as Nakta and A-Tom made their way towards us. “What’s the interruption for? I was about to beat Nakta hyung,” A-Tom said, a delicate hand smoothing his hair down. Nakta merely snorted.

“Byungjoo has a clue.” Hojoon supplied. “Well, jinkies! You don’t say.” A-Tom replied and for a minute, I forgot that this was supposed to be serious and snorted, deeply amused by the younger male. A-Tom seemed pleased with himself.

“Let’s be serious children.” P-Goon muttered, but I could tell A-Tom had amused him too. “I know where we can find them.” I informed them. For any other group, being as vague as I was would’ve gotten some blank stares, but considering who we’ve been in contact with recently, they knew immediately. Seogoong looked up, dark eyes almost looking through me. “What? Where?” he demanded. “I had a dream earlier,” I began, telling them what I told Hojoon.

“Jenissi is going to kill Hansol’s parents.” Kidoh summed it up after I’d finished. I noticed that it tended to be the knights who spoke up first when everyone else was flabbergasted. What would we do without them? “He said something else in the dream too.” I muttered, getting their attention again.

“He said that lions are known for being guardians. What does that mean?” I asked. “It means, that he’s probably going to try and kill them as soon as possible.” P-Goon replied. I blinked in confusion, but he was already standing up, looking at his watch.

“It’s almost ten, so they should still be at home.” At my confused expression Seogoong said, “The Kim family aren’t very quiet on their schedules. They always need to be in the spotlight.” I nodded, and although I wanted to figure out what the real meaning behind Jenissi’s statement, I wanted to stop him first.

When we got to the Kim household, nothing seemed to be amiss. However, Seogoong froze the minute he got close to the door. I didn’t know what to make of that, but the others seem to know something was going on. When I asked, Hojoon leaned towards me.

“Shifters recognize the scents of other shifters, they’re either here, or they’ve been here recently.” He explained. It didn’t help that when P-Goon reached for the door, it opened on its own. Inside, the house was utterly freezing. I could see my breath and suddenly I had flashbacks of when I had been frozen outside of Hansol’s hospital room. The others had informed me that Xero had been the one behind that, which could only mean that he was here.

We slowly walked into the house, noting how quiet everything was. It wasn’t until we actually stepped into the living room that everything became clear. They were there, and they were waiting for us. Jenissi was the first person I saw and he was all smiles, but it reminded me of the smile he shot me in Hansol’s dream before he pushed me out of it.

“Welcome to the party, we were waiting for you.” He cooed. Immediately after his comment my entire frame shivered and I knew something had happened. “Xero.” Kidoh groaned out. I tried my hardest to move, but the only thing I could do was look around and breathe.

Xero was sitting on one of the couches and he looked amused, his head tilted to the side and a playful smile lighting up his features. “Couldn’t have you guys being party poopers now could I?” he asked. I looked away from Xero, trying to figure out who else was there, but it wasn’t that hard to see who I had missed.

Gohn was there, and he looked different. It wasn’t a physical change, but he reminded me more of Jenissi. He wasn’t smiling like his cousin was, but there was an air to him that was too close to Jenissi’s. Naturally, seated in between them was Hansol himself. Joining the dark side had done him well, even if I didn’t want to admit it. He didn’t look underweight at all, and he had the baby face that I’d seen in his pictures. The rings were no longer present and he didn’t look stressed at all. A week away from everything that had been destroying him had done him well.

I noticed that Sangdo and Yano were missing, but on the other side of the room, were Hansol’s parents. I could immediately tell that Xero was the reason for their stillness, but it was more obvious. Their feet were literally frozen to the floor as they remained in the seated position the others had most likely found them in. “Now that everyone’s here, let’s get this party started!” Jenissi was all unhinged smiles and dark eyes as he moved towards Hansol’s parents. He was really going to kill them.


	3. Chapter 3

“Taeyang, stop!” That was P-Goon. I was surprised when Jenissi did stop moving. He looked annoyed more than anything as he turned towards the dragon. “What?” he hissed. “You don’t have to do this.” P-Goon’s voice was soft and soothing, it sounded like Sangdo’s did in the hospital room.

However, it didn’t bother Jenissi in the least. “Nuh-uh. No mind games dragon boy. You don’t have a hold on me.” he informed the other. “Jenissi, don’t do this.” That was Nakta this time. He sounded pained. He had probably never seen Jenissi in action and it must’ve pained him.

“Why is everyone suddenly on their side?” Jenissi demanded. “Are we forgetting what they did to our baby brother?” he demanded, a hint of anger seeping into his voice. Something was confusing me here. I had noticed it before, but I never had time to think about it fully. Jenissi, more often than not, referred to Hansol as his baby brother. I thought they were cousins. What was going on?

“No, we haven’t forgotten Taeyang, we know they’re bad people, but they don’t deserve to die, it isn’t their time,” Kidoh explained. Jenissi smiled, his teeth looked as sharp as they had in Hansol’s dream. “Oh I disagree. Their time is up.” He replied.

“Why do you keep calling him baby brother?” I asked, trying to buy time. One of the others would surely figure out a way to get out of Xero’s hold, so the more Jenissi talked, the better. Jenissi paused and blinked in confusion, turning his gaze on me. “That’s what he is.” The older male replied. “But I was told you were cousins.” I shot back. I noticed that Hansol looked confused as well, but Gohn didn’t. Evil laughter cut off my thought pattern.

“That bastard doesn’t even belong in our family.” Hansol’s father all but spat, causing Jenissi to turn towards him, his eyes flashing dangerously. “What did you just say?” Jenissi asked. “You heard me. You were disowned, along with your whore of a father, I don’t even want to think about it.” He finished, looking as if he had a disgusting taste in his mouth. Jenissi looked pissed but amused and detached at the same time.

“Whore? Oh really? Is that what my father is?” Jenissi asked, laughter in his tone. “You know what? Let’s bring up my father! Oh, I know! Let’s bring up a few family members shall we? Shed some light on the Kim bloodline.” Jenissi whirled around towards us with a bright smile on his face.

“You guys are going to love this. It’s a secret they’ve been hiding for years, a little over twenty-one years in fact. You always talk about my parents, uncle, but you’re not perfect, not even close.” Jenissi laughed and moved towards him.

“You’re not perfect at all, and you’re not good at hiding things either.” Suddenly, Jenissi was looking at me, a thoughtful expression on his face. “You wanna know why I call him baby brother? I’ll tell you. It’s a good thing you guys don’t have to go anywhere, because I’ve been wanting to get this off my chest for years!

“But I had to stay quiet and they made my mother keep quiet too actually. However, silence is so overrated no?” he asked rhetorically. For the first time ever, Hansol’s parents looked nervous as they stared up at Jenissi.

“Story time everyone, listen well,” Jenissi began, glancing at Hansol and Gohn before turning to face the two people he wanted to kill. “A little over two decades ago, a couple decided that they wanted a child. The girlfriend’s sisters had had children, so what was stopping her? It turns out, she couldn’t have children. They wondered why, they really did, so they went to the doctor to figure some things out.” At this, Hansol’s mother flinched.

“As it turns out, it was the fault of the boyfriend! He was shooting blanks!” Jenissi made guns with his thumb and pointer finger, pretending to take a few shots, as Hansol’s father flushed red. “However, we’ve got fucking magic man! Such a problem is easy to solve, but even that couldn’t help. The poor mother was a bit lacking when it came to eggs, and that couldn’t be helped.

“They were horrified! They were supposed to be the dynamic duo! Perfect in every way, but they couldn’t even have a child. So what do they do? They go to the girlfriend’s older sister who was already married and had already had a child. They were hoping that she would help them, be the surrogate mother, but she declined. Her first, and only, child had barely survived and she refused to chance it, considering her life had been on the line too.

“She wanted to be in her child’s life, and what if another try tipped the scale? So what were they to do?” Jenissi looked to the parents as if they were going to answer, but they were pale faced as he told the story. “They went to the girlfriend’s baby sister! However, she refused as well. She had given birth too recently to try and pop another out, and besides, her husband would never agree to such things.

“Angered by the rejection, the couple plotted. They knew the younger sister had a history before she met her husband and they knew the older sister’s husband had a history of his own. So why not put those two together and make something happen? So that’s what they did. It was at a party the couple put together.

“No one thought much of it considering they threw parties frequently, and they were always such flashy affairs. Throughout the party, the couple plotted, and when it was time, they struck. It’s amazing what a couple drinks and a few lust potions could do to a person.” Jenissi was all smiles as the parents stared at him in shock and terror. Gohn’s face was completely blank and Hansol was listening with detached awe.

“So, the baby sister who was still recovering from her pregnancy but well aware of the consequences of missing a party thrown by her older sister, was lured into the room. The wrong husband followed shortly after, unaware that his wife and his sister-in-law were wearing matching dresses, planned by the devious middle sister by the way.

“Naturally, they ended up having sex and passed out, unaware that a too mature for his age shifter had seen the entire ordeal, including the part where the devious couple came in after they had passed out to make sure everything went according to plan.” At this, the couple on the couch seemed to pale even more. They obviously hadn’t been aware that Jenissi had known about this.

“The next morning, the drunken couple wake up completely confused and horrified to find themselves in bed with each other. They promised not to tell anyone a thing and go their separate ways. However, it became apparent shortly after that the baby sister was pregnant, and she was absolutely terrified.

“What was she going to do with another child? How could she explain to her husband what had happened? Naturally, she went to see her sister, unaware that she was the reason behind the entire ordeal. They made a plan to hide her pregnancy as much as they could, but fate didn’t work that way.

“Instead, the devious couple ratted her out. They spread the rumor of the affair and it caught like wild fire. The poor girl was horrified and her life was almost ruined. However, she begged and pleaded with her husband, told him she’d get rid of it after she gave birth to it.

“He agreed and of course, the baby sister went back to her sister unknowing that this was exactly what she wanted. Of course, the eldest sister helped too, but she had pushed her husband out of her life, but that’s another story and not important at the moment.

“So the baby sister goes through the pregnancy, taunts of being a whore and not good enough to have Kim blood running through her veins nearly making her lose her mind, and the precious life she was carrying. But as fate would have it, she made it and gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. Wanna know his name?” Jenissi asked. I got the feeling it was another rhetorical question.

“Kim Hansol,” Jenissi said, pointing at the boy seated in between Gohn and Xero. He didn’t look as surprised as I knew he probably was, but then again, it wasn’t that hard to understand where Jenissi had been going with this.

“Everyone knew about the baby, but not the name, and the thing was, she had promised him off to a couple who couldn’t give birth, but of course the devious couple never informed anyone besides the two sisters that they were barren. For some reason, they never connected the dots on that one, believing the Kim line to be too perfect to be unable to bare children.

“They just assumed that with all the huff and puff with the baby sister, distracted them from the middle sister’s pregnancy. The new parents were absolutely delighted but, there was always a detachment to him. Sure, detached emotions run in our family, but Hansol didn’t come from their fluids, but their plans.

“As he grew, they treated him like a plan, not a child, and when my mother found out the truth, she was horrified, but it was too late. My father had went dark shortly after she’d pushed him out of her life and my aunt, Dongsung’s mother, just couldn’t accept the fact that her own flesh and blood had forced her into such a situation.

“She lost her mind shortly after my mother told her, but luckily Gohn was already in his teens. She was shipped off shortly after with no explanation as to why. These two here threatened my mother that if she even made a noise about the truth, they’d hurt me, and so she hid it from me, unaware that I already knew.

“And for years, years, I had to watch you tear my baby brother apart because he wasn’t perfect enough for you, and because I wasn’t strong enough to take him away. Because he didn’t fit your plan he had to suffer, well, not anymore.

“I’ve been wanting to do this for years, planning every single way I could make your lives hell right before I ended them, and no one is going to stop me.” the last part was growled out as the shadows formed the silhouette of a lion on the wall on the side of Jenissi. It looked like it was about to take a bite out of the couple on the couch.


	4. Chapter 4

My mind was spinning with the overload of information and it tried to sort through everything. Obviously, the couple sitting on the couch were the devious couple who did all that plotting. The baby sister was Gohn’s mother, and the husband of the older sister, was Jenissi’s father. Which did in fact make Hansol the baby brother of both shifters.

That explained a lot, but it was interesting that Hansol wasn’t a shifter. Then again, it was always a tossup on those things considering such things included other bloodlines. Then again, Jenissi hadn’t mentioned what the species of the two who had come together to create Hansol were.

Just like I thought, someone had been plotting while Jenissi had explained their background because before Jenissi could touch the two terrified adults, P-Goon was there. I forget at times that he’s a dragon, and he must’ve melted Xero’s ice. Jenissi moved out of the way of P-Goon’s strike, growling angrily at the other.

“Get out of the way,” he snarled. “I can’t do that Taeyang, you know that.” P-Goon sounded solemn, but his stance confirmed that he wasn’t moving. This didn’t bother Jenissi however as he shot towards P-Goon, literally becoming a blur before disappearing entirely.

P-Goon looked surprised until the shifter appeared behind him, kicking him hard enough to make him hit the wall where Jenissi’s shadow had been moments before. P-Goon quickly got up and went back for the other, yet again stopping him from touching the pair frozen on the couch.

They rolled around and disappeared into thin air, obviously Jenissi’s doing considering the black smoke left in his wake. However, they showed back up shortly after, coming through the ceiling. Jenissi was straddling the other and swinging at him. P-Goon did his best at defending himself, but I could tell he didn’t want to hurt Jenissi. Jenissi didn’t seem to have the same concerns.

While this was happening, I noticed that Kidoh had freed himself. In the blink of an eye, the knight was throwing Jenissi off of P-Goon and into the wall he had kicked P-Goon into earlier. Instead of hitting the wall, he disappeared only to appear with his arms around the knight and then they were gone. I could hear commotion upstairs where it had originally been silent.

P-Goon turned towards us, but before he could take a step forward, a large shard of ice shot up in front of him. He narrowly missed being impaled. P-Goon turned towards Xero, frowning when the other smirked at him. “Don’t do this Jiho.” P-Goon warned warily. Xero grinned and another shard of ice shot up from the ground.

“Do what?” Xero asked. Before P-Goon could reply, there was a loud cracking noise and Jenissi and Kidoh fell through the ceiling. Jenissi obviously had the upper hand judging by the markings on Kidoh’s face, but the two disappeared immediately after.

“I learned a few tricks while we were away hyung, want to see?” Xero asked. P-Goon sighed and he looked sad, but he had no other choice. I was annoyed that I was still frozen to my spot, amazed that Xero could still keep us frozen and fight P-Goon at the same time. I had never got to see him in action before, but I knew this took a lot of concentration.

P-Goon and Xero moved almost too fast for me to see, but there was a moment where P-Goon threw Xero so hard into what I think was the wall that went to the kitchen. While Xero was out of commission, P-Goon immediately moved towards us.

He was breathing a little hard, but he was able to release Nakta. Right when I was wondering why Gohn and Hansol hadn’t stepped in, multiple icicles shot out of the hole Xero’s body had made in the wall.

P-Goon and Nakta barely got out of the way only for Xero to lunge out and kick Nakta so hard he hit the window, breaking it. Nakta sunk to the floor, completely limp, and the glass fell around him. Xero didn’t stop moving though as he aimed for P-Goon and unleashed a torrent of icicles on the older who could only dodge. In that moment, Jenissi returned but Kidoh was nowhere to be seen. The dark shifter was grinning maniacally and blood was falling down the right side of his mouth.

He didn’t seem to notice it, hell, he didn’t even seem to notice the fighting going on. His focus was on the couple still frozen to their seats. I was amazed by Xero’s power, but I was also beginning to wonder if the couple were magically talented in any way. They sure didn’t seem like it.

P-Goon was distracted by Xero, Nakta looked like he had passed out, and I had no idea where Kidoh was, so Jenissi had a clear path. I wanted nothing more than to call out to P-Goon or Nakta, to let them know that Jenissi had returned, but I couldn’t.

As P-Goon and Xero fought, the room had proceeded to freeze over and it was doing the same to the five of us that were still in Xero’s hold. Speaking of, Xero had surprisingly bested P-Goon. Xero was standing over the dragon who looked like he was fighting himself as well as Xero.

The ice wizard was grinning as his left hand held P-Goon’s shoulder, keeping him down, and his right was creating an icicle. I was horrified and I tried so hard to move, but I couldn’t. I was literally frozen where I stood.

As Jenissi hovered over the couple and Xero prepared to strike through P-Goon, Kidoh showed up again. He didn’t look as bad as I thought he would considering Jenissi had just left him wherever they’d teleported to. He was bleeding more than Jenissi was, but that was it. Kidoh went straight for Xero, tackling the ice wizard who had been swinging his right hand down.

At the same time, Jenissi swung a shadowy clawed hand at the father and I flinched, closing my eyes when I heard a very feminine scream. After that, something roared and a lot more noise followed, before dead silence replaced it.

My eyes opened again to see that Kidoh was holding Xero up against the wall, the two glaring each other down. Jenissi had decapitated Hansol’s false father and he was holding Hansol’s false mother who was covered in blood. I looked around for P-Goon only to find him behind A-Tom, breaking the ice holding him. Jenissi noticed and held the woman tighter, glaring at the knight and the dragon.

“What are you going to do?” Jenissi asked, a darker undertone to his voice making it seem a bit animalistic. P-Goon and A-Tom looked at each other before nodding.


	5. Chapter 5

I thought that they would choose to stop Jenissi, but that’s not what happened. Instead, they both charged in the opposite direction of him. A-Tom went straight for Gohn who took the bait and dodged the other, but froze when he realized their true intentions.

P-Goon was holding Hansol in his arms in the same way Jenissi was holding Hansol’s false mother. Both dark shifters froze and the look on their faces was downright ferocious. “You wouldn’t dare!” Jenissi hissed. “Try me.” P-Goon replied.

Jenissi and P-Goon stared each other down, but Jenissi didn’t let go of Hansol’s false mother. “What are you going to do Taeyang? Are you going to continue seeking revenge? Or will you do your duty as a brother and a guardian?” P-Goon asked.

Jenissi’s grip tightened on the woman, but he didn’t try anything. Instead, he looked towards Gohn who was watching P-Goon carefully. “Are you going to neglect your duties too Gohn hyung? He’s the same to you as he is to Jenissi hyung.” A-Tom informed the other softly.

The two shifters looked conflicted and I could tell that this ‘guardian’ thing was really important. Hansol, surprisingly, didn’t look scared at all. He looked completely calm as P-Goon held him tightly. The conductor in training was staring at his false father’s head with a blank expression and in that moment, I wondered what he was thinking.

Jenissi growled angrily and he threw the woman down and in the same moment, disappeared into thin air. Gohn did the same thing and I was beginning to wonder just what was taught to dark wizards and shifters. A-Tom and P-Goon moved away just in time because a second later Gohn appeared standing directly in front of Hansol and Jenissi appeared in front of Gohn, completely blocking Hansol from view.

The woman crawled away from the body Jenissi had pretty much thrown her on. P-Goon and A-Tom were blocking her from the two shifters’ sight. Hansol still looked as calm as ever and I wondered if it was that detached family thing or something else.

At that moment, Kidoh cried out and stumbled away. Xero dropped to the floor in a crouched position and moved so he was standing beside Hansol. Kidoh, on the other hand, held onto his stomach tightly. Jenissi, who still looked a mix of animalistic and pissed, smirked.

“Heh, knew you’d still be party poopers. Until next time auntie.” There was venom in his voice as he glared at the woman who flinched before the entire group disappeared. The minute they were gone, I was able to move again and so was Seogoong and Hojoon.

Hojoon rushed towards Nakta who was starting to move whilst Seogoong moved towards Kidoh. Xero had stabbed him with a shard of ice, but it wasn’t very deep. Xero had only wanted to get away, not cause damage, at least not serious damage. Seogoong hoisted Nakta up and the other looked a bit nauseous as he held on to the shifter. While Seogoong checked him over, P-Goon crouched in front of the woman who still looked terrified.

“Mrs. Kim, my name is Park Sehyuk. We’re from the academy.” He spoke in that soothing tone and the woman seemed to calm down, just a bit. “He’s going to kill me,” she informed P-Goon. The dragon shook his head and kept his soothing tone.

“He won’t, if you come with us to the academy. They’ll protect you there.” He replied. The woman seemed to think it over, but I could tell she was shaken up by Jenissi’s behavior. I couldn’t blame her, I would never want someone like Jenissi after me.

P-Goon coaxed the woman up and I moved towards Nakta, worried for his wellbeing. The older male smiled politely, but didn’t decline my help. I noted that the back of his head was matted down with what I could only assume was his blood. He needed help, and fast.

When we got back to the academy, P-Goon took Mrs. Kim away whilst Kidoh took Nakta to the medical ward. The remaining members and I ended up in Seogoong’s room and I couldn’t help but ask. “What does being a guardian mean?” Seogoong looked up at me before he sighed.

“In the Shifter Ward, there’s multiple meanings to everything. As you noticed, not only can we shift into an animal, but we can teleport as well, hence the title of our ward. However, there’s always something else.

“Specifically in the Lion Ward, we have the ability to become guardians. It’s not something we can control, it just happens. A guardian is a lion shifter who connects with an individual outside of their ward, on a level that makes them want to protect them no matter the circumstances.

“Jenissi and Gohn both became the guardian of Hansol. It’s not unheard of for two shifters to protect one person, and considering their circumstances, it was expected.” “What circumstances?” I asked, wanting to understand everything.

“You heard Jenissi earlier, he had to watch Hansol suffer and he was unable to do anything. That’s basically what made Jenissi his guardian. Becoming a guardian is purely instinctual and seeing Hansol suffer like that set it off.

“The same thing happened to Gohn, but Jenissi was his guardian first. I think the fact that Jenissi knew Hansol was his younger brother only enhanced the need to protect, and that’s how it happened.” Seogoong explained patiently.

“When I brought up the guardian thing, P-Goon wanted to go to Hansol’s house immediately, why?” it had been bothering me that the older hadn’t been very specific, instead choosing to rush out, but I knew now that it had been the right thing to do.

“Well, as his guardian, Jenissi, and Gohn, will want to remove anything or anyone from Hansol’s life that is making him suffer. Jenissi couldn’t do that in the beginning because even though Hansol was terrified of his parents, well, we know they’re not his real parents now, he still wanted them to be happy, he still cared.

“Now that he knows they’re not his real parents and that they never did care for him, Hansol couldn’t care less. The fact that he’s dark only enhanced it. The minute Hansol became dark meant Jenissi could begin his plan, and the second Hansol found out they weren’t his parents, was the second Jenissi could remove the issue.

“It’s natural for a guardian to make sure the one they protect is okay, both physically and mentally. Jenissi said it himself, that Hansol would still be afraid and still have nightmares about his parents, as long as they were alive to haunt him.

“Jenissi can’t do anything for Hansol when he is dreaming, but by getting rid of the people who cause those nightmares, Hansol can find peace, which means Jenissi, and Gohn, can do the same.” “Will she be safe here?” Seogoong, Hojoon, and A-Tom looked between each other before shrugging, Seogoong was the one who shook his head.

“She is safe, but only to an extent. Guardians will do anything in their power, even giving up their life, to make sure their protected is okay. Hansol’s, well, his fake mother, is still alive, which means he’ll still have nightmares. Sure, Hansol’s fake father was the one who did most of the torturing, but she wasn’t innocent.

“Hansol’s mother preferred verbal abuse and, mostly, ignoring him. You might not understand what that does to a kid, but it’s not healthy. P-Goon knows they’ll come back, but he’d much rather have them on our turf than unknown territory. That’s why she’s here.” He explained, picking his words carefully.


	6. Chapter 6

“Where are we going again?” I asked as I trailed after Hojoon. He seemed determined as he walked down the hallway. “We’re going to see someone.” He replied. I stared at the back of his head, wondering if he was always this vague. Then again, I wasn’t very good at specifics myself.

However, I didn’t have to wait long before he stopped in front of a door and knocked on it. He only made a few gentle taps, but the person on the inside heard it anyway. I don’t know what I was expecting, but a tall man with tattoos wrapped his arms, wasn’t it.

“Hojoon.” The man murmured, his voice held no surprise whatsoever. “Jiwon hyung.” Hojoon replied. The man looked us over before smiling and moving out of the way, inviting us into the room. “I was wondering when you’d come by.” He murmured softly as we entered his dorm.

It was bigger than most dorms, and quite empty as well. There was a bed in the corner, neatly made with a few books on it. The main thing in his room seemed to be the table in the middle of the room.

It had two chairs opposite of each other and placed in the middle of the table surrounded by multiple candles, was a medium sized crystal ball. Why was that in here? I didn’t bother asking because I didn’t know the older male that well, Hojoon seemed to.

“What can I do for you Hojoonie?” Jiwon asked pleasantly, crossing his arms and tilting his head to the side. “I’m sure you already know, but I’ll enlighten you. I need you to check the future for me.” Hojoon replied, tone serious yet condescending. Jiwon made a tsking noise.

“Hojoonie, you know the extent of my power, I can only do so much.” “I know that, and I’m aware of the consequences. I just, I need to make sure.” Hojoon’s condescending tone disappeared immediately and he sounded more desperate. Jiwon sighed but he moved towards the table anyway.

Hojoon followed and I wondered what to do, I didn’t want to stand there awkwardly or anything. Jiwon seemed to notice and he smiled politely.

“Byungjoo, you can sit on my bed.” I blinked, caught off guard just a bit. How did he know my name? “Jiwon hyung can see into the future Bjoo. Of course he knows your name.” Hojoon informed me and I calmed down a bit, taking a seat on his bed and watching the two.

Jiwon was humming softly to himself as he lit the candles and then moved to turn the light off in his room. It was kind of weird how dark it got, but I blamed it on the placement of his room. Once Jiwon had finished his preparations, he sat down across from Hojoon and held his hands out.

“You know I need your help.” The older male murmured. Hojoon looked nervous for a moment before he took a deep breath and placed his hands in Jiwon’s.

Jiwon smiled gently at Hojoon before turning to me. “Now this can get kind of freaky, so I want to warn you beforehand. Don’t try to interrupt okay?” he asked. I nodded and Jiwon sent me that patient, polite smile he’d been using since we got here.

“Are you ready Hojoonie?” at his nod, Jiwon closed his eyes. At first, nothing happened, but then Hojoon grunted and his eyes closed, but it didn’t seem like he had any control over that. Hojoon and Jiwon’s connected hands began to glow and I could’ve sworn I saw Jiwon’s tattoos move. Hojoon grunted again as if he were in pain, but Jiwon had warned me not to interrupt, so I didn’t.

It seemed like forever before Hojoon’s eyes opened, but when they did, it was weird. His eyes were glowing, as if flashlights had replaced them. When Jiwon’s eyes opened, they were exactly the same and slowly, the crystal ball began to glow.

Hojoon’s head turned down so he could see, but Jiwon’s remained tilted up. I wasn’t sure if Hojoon was seeing anything, but the light coming from the ball made shapes on the wall. I could see the shadow of multiple lions, dragons, and swords.

They floated around the walls, but they made no sense to me. My attention was brought back to Hojoon who seemed to be in pain now. It looked like he was trying to pull his hands away from Jiwon’s grip, but the older male didn’t let go. I hesitated, but remembered Jiwon’s warning. This was almost as bad as when I couldn’t be of any help at Hansol’s house. I seemed to be pretty helpless in most situations.

Before my mind could delve deeper into such thoughts, Hojoon stopped struggling and the light began to die out. Jiwon’s hands opened but his eyes didn’t stop glowing. However, when Hojoon removed his hands, both of their eyes closed and the crystal ball stopped glowing.

The candles were the only light source in the room. Both boys were breathing hard but Jiwon opened his eyes first, they were normal. “What a ride.” He murmured, a hint of amusement in his voice. Hojoon was definitely shakier than Jiwon when he opened his eyes, but he seemed determined.

“Did you see what you wanted?” Jiwon asked softly, curiosity and worry mixed into his polite tone. “I-I think so.” Hojoon replied, still shaky as he rubbed his eyes. Jiwon sighed and stood up, moving around to run his fingers through Hojoon’s hair.

“Don’t worry Hojoonie, the balance will return.” Jiwon’s voice sounded different and his expression was blank as he said that, but when I blinked, he looked normal. That politely pleasant smile back on his face. Hojoon seemed reassured but still shaky as he stood up. “C’mon Byungjoo, it’s time to go. Jiwon hyung, thank you, really,” Hojoon said, looking at the other with a warm expression. Jiwon was all smiles as he waved off Hojoon’s thanks.

“No problem Hojoonie, things will go well as long as you keep your faith. It was nice meeting you Byungjoo.” Jiwon followed us as we went towards the door. I paused on the threshold when he called out my name.

“You’ll have to make a decision Byungjoo, and when the time comes, trust in those beside you. No matter what anyone says, there’s always good in someone, you just have to find it.” Jiwon sounded different again, his face blank and his gaze distant, but it disappeared just as quickly. “Visit me sometime,” he said with that pleasant smile before he shut the door.


	7. Chapter 7

A few days after Hojoon and I visited Jiwon, I found myself sitting in front of Hansol’s false mother. She was still shaken up about the incident, and I didn’t blame her. I tried not to see her as the woman who did such horrible things to Hansol. I wanted to at least get her side. Jiwon had said everyone had some good in them, and I wanted to test that out.

“How are you doing?” I asked politely. “I can’t sleep, the minute I close my eyes, he’s there. There was always something about that boy that unnerved me, but this,” she paused and I could see how scared she was. She was utterly terrified of her nephew.

“Ma’am, we’re doing our best to make sure you’re safe here.” The woman was already shaking her head. “No, he’ll come for me, he tells me in my dreams. He says it’s just a matter of time.” She murmured, wringing her hands nervously. My eyebrows furrowed and I wondered what that meant. I knew Jenissi could come in my dreams, but only if I connected with Hansol, which hadn’t happened since the last time.

“Are you a wizard too?” I asked. “Yes. I’m from the Healing Ward.” She told me. “But they’re known for being gentle and kind,” I trailed off at the look she shot me, but I wasn’t afraid of her. Hansol had no reason to be either honestly, but the fear had been put in him at a young age.

“Was Hansol in your dreams too?” I asked. He had to be, I asked Seogoong about the whole guardian thing and he informed me that Jenissi could only go in dreams that Hansol brought him to. “They all were there.” She replied. “All?”

“All three of them. They were there, and they were waiting to hurt me.” she replied. All three. That must mean Gohn had been there too, he was Hansol’s guardian as well. “Did they say anything? Anything specific?” I asked, wondering if they really would come here.

The woman seemed to think and I could tell she was really trying. “I don’t know, I just wanted to get away. They were chasing me, saying it was time for the finale. That everyone would find peace with my death. I don’t want to die.” She finished, her voice tinged with anguish and fear. I wanted to calm her down, I really did, but I had a feeling nothing I did would do the trick.

The woman’s fear of Jenissi was much stronger than any words I could use to attempt to calm her. I could tell she’d probably been having nightmares about Jenissi even before he’d actually been in her dreams, and it was keeping her in a state of fear and paranoia. I couldn’t do anything for her. But I was curious about one thing.

“Why did you treat him like that?” I asked. The woman looked up, obviously caught off guard by my question. “What?” “You went through all that trouble to have a child, ruining the lives of your sisters, why did you choose to ruin another?

“Why didn’t you treat Hansol like the child you worked so hard for?” it had been bothering me, eating at me really. Jenissi had said they treated him like a plan, why did they do that? The look on her face was one of detached contempt, and I could tell I wouldn’t like the answer. “I couldn’t love him.” She replied slowly.

“Sure, my family is known for their detached emotions, it’s been in the Kim bloodline for generations, but I couldn’t love him. I would look at his beautiful face, and see my sister. I’d see the child that belonged to my sister and brother-in-law. Besides, what Taeyang doesn’t know, and neither does my husband, is that I had another plan in mind.” I was surprised, and leaned forward, wanting to know more.

“My family is supposed to be perfect, we’re supposed to outshine everyone else. My older sister is one of the best Conductors in the world, most of the best come from my family. My younger sister, a strong shifter, had taken down multiple dark wizards with the wave of a hand, and she was barely an adult.” She laughed, but it was empty and full of bitterness.

“And what had the middle child done? Nothing, not a single thing. My family didn’t see my value, so they shipped me off to a man nearly twice my age. A man with an aura as bad as any dark wizard, it doesn’t compare to Taeyang, I know that now. But at the time, my husband was the scariest thing in my life.

“He demanded perfection in everything I did, he wasn’t even satisfied with the way I breathed. I needed an escape, something that would divert his attention. And that’s when our parents brought up children. My sisters already had Taeyang and Dongsung, I was the only one lacking as usual. I hadn’t thought about children, but it clicked immediately, and I wanted nothing more than to have a child.

“It was shortly after that when we found out he wasn’t working properly. Naturally, he took it out on me, and things got even worse when we found out there was a solution to his problem, but not mine. I tried to find a way to please him, which ended up with my sisters getting involved. At the time, I felt bad, but I needed a reprieve.

“My sisters lived happy lives, it was my turn. As it happened, things worked out perfectly and the minute Hansol showed signs of being a musical wizard, the attention on me was gone. Instead, the attention was on Hansol, he was in the spotlight, just the wrong one. I should’ve known Taeyang knew about the situation.

“He always wanted to come over, he always stuck by Hansol’s side, and the way he looked at us. There was so much hatred. I think Dongsung knew too, or maybe he knew about the abuse, because when Taeyang couldn’t be there, Dongsung was. However, they couldn’t always be there. And I was relieved, I was so relieved that finally, my husband’s attention was on someone else.

“I wasn’t his target anymore. I did feel bad for Hansol, I did. But he wasn’t my son, he’s never been my son. He’s my nephew, born out of planned adultery, who took the heat off of my back when I couldn’t take it any longer, and that’s it.”

For a minute, I just stared at her, horrified and disgusted. I got the main idea, that her husband abused her and her family ignored her because they couldn’t see her worth, but to do what she did and not feel any remorse for it? That was just wrong.

The woman in front of me, although still scared, didn’t seem the least bit remorseful about the situation she’d created just to get the attention off of her. In that moment, I could understand why the Kim brothers were doing what they were doing, and if they had known about this bit of information it’d be much worse, but I shoved that thought away, thinking that maybe I was too involved in this situation.

I wanted Hansol to get better, to come back to our side and bring the others with them, but I definitely didn’t want to join the killer bandwagon. I figured that staying in this room any longer might just drive me crazy, so I shakily excused myself and left the room. I couldn’t get away from that dorm fast enough.


	8. Chapter 8

After another couple days passed, I began to relax. The others seemed to do the same and I quickly realized, that’s exactly what Jenissi wanted. However, I realized this too late. It was when we were watching Kidoh and A-Tom spar in the gym when all of the lights went out.

It was daytime, but considering where we were, the sunlight did nothing. I was completely caught off guard, wondering if this was some type of joke. When Seogoong began cursing under his breath, I realized that this wasn’t a game. Jenissi and the others were here.

When we exited the gym, P-Goon ordered us to make our way to the medical ward, where Mrs. Kim was located. When we reached the hallway two corners away from where Mrs. Kim was, we were greeted by freezing cold.

The tile floor beneath our feet was slippery and everything clicked immediately. “Xero.” A-Tom growled. A chuckle echoed off the walls of the hallway before Xero spoke up. “I believe there should be a hyung somewhere in there.” The ice wizard sounded amused.

“He’s not alone.” Seogoong commented and although I couldn’t see him, by the tone of his voice I could tell he was tense. “You haven’t forgotten my scent, I’m honored Seogoong hyung.” That voice I didn’t really recognize, but I had a feeling as to who it was.

“Just let us by, we don’t want to hurt you.” That was Kidoh, and he sounded far away for some reason. There was movement somewhere behind me, and before I could freak out, the lights began flickering. I had no idea who was in control of it, but it showed who was standing beside Xero.

Yano was there. He was wearing all black and as the lights flickered, he shifted his weight, a playful smirk on his face.

The movement behind me stopped, and I glanced behind me to see Hojoon standing there, his hand pressed against the wall. Was he the one controlling the lights? “They’re here to stall us,” Nakta said. The others nodded in agreement.

“We can handle this.” Kidoh took a step forward and A-Tom followed him. Yano grinned, showing off all of his teeth as he leaned forwards in anticipation. “You guys get to Mrs. Kim as quickly as possible, A-Tom and I will hold them off.” Kidoh spoke lowly, and without turning around before he lunged at the pair on the other side of the hallway.

Yano disappeared almost immediately before appearing in front of A-Tom, forcing the knight to jump backwards. Kidoh pressed on, narrowly dodging the large shards of ice that shot out of the floor, steadily getting closer to Xero.

“What do we do?” I asked, turning to P-Goon. “This is the only hallway that’ll get us to her room, we have to trust them to keep those two busy. C’mon.” his voice lowered slightly as he began edging his way down the hall. Nakta and Seogoong followed and I did the same, pausing when I noticed Hojoon wasn’t following. He noticed me staring and smiled.

“Don’t worry about me, I need to make sure they can see.” Which meant he was the one controlling the lights. I wasn’t sure why they were flickering though, maybe it was because he couldn’t get to the main power source so his power could only do so much.

Trusting in him, I turned and crept along with the others, hoping Mrs. Kim was okay. As we made our way down the hall, A-Tom stood in the middle of it, trying to keep his eyes on Yano, which was pretty impossible.

The shifter was teleporting all around the knight, scratching at the other with a shadowy claw. I noticed that the shadows, although flickering, formed the shape of a lion, disappearing and reappearing according to Yano’s movements.

It wasn’t as big as Jenissi’s shadow had been, but it was still terrifying to me. I turned away from the two, noting how Kidoh had yet to land a hit on Xero. The ice wizard was doing a good job of keeping him away, nearly impaling the knight multiple times.

Xero noticed us when we reached the middle of the hallway. I wasn’t aware of that until massive shards shot out of the floor in front of P-Goon as well as out of the wall in front of P-Goon’s face, making the dragon jump backwards, nearly knocking into Nakta.

“And where are you four going?” he asked as he moved out of the way of Kidoh’s sword, flinging icicles at the knight who barely dodged them. Instead of answering him, P-Goon reached out a hand and touched one of the shards. I watched with wide eyes as the shard began to melt.

Although P-Goon was doing a good job, he could only do so much considering that if he put all of his power into it, he’d hurt all of us, and Xero really hadn’t wanted us to continue moving judging by the amount of shards he’d used.

“Byungjoo! Watch out!” I whipped around at Hojoon’s voice, fully caught off guard when Yano was suddenly in my face. “Hello.” He greeted me quite politely, a childlike smile on his face before he kicked me, hard, in my chest. I felt myself sliding away, falling as I did so. The force Yano had put into his kick had me in a daze, sitting by Hojoon’s feet.

When I looked up, I saw Yano getting closer to me. He was shifting along with the flickering of the lights which made his approach even scarier. Before he could reach me, Hojoon took his hand off the wall and the hallway was engulfed in darkness once again. The lack of light only lasted a moment before lights flashed on, extremely bright, like a pair of headlights.

The source of the light was coming from Hojoon’s hands as the male stood in front of me. Yano got the full blast of Hojoon’s light and the younger cried out, temporarily blinded from Hojoon’s light. However, the wizard didn’t stop there. He stepped forward, lifting his glowing hands and grabbing Yano’s face.

The younger looked dazed and Xero shouted his name, but nothing could be done. I watched in shock and awe as Hojoon’s entire frame began to glow. Shortly after, Yano’s began doing the same. Yano looked terrified and pissed at the same time and I could tell he was trying to shift away, but Hojoon wouldn’t let him.

Suddenly, Yano’s eyes rolled upward, completely disappearing as he began trembling, his eyelids fluttering. It was scary, but Hojoon wouldn’t let go. I couldn’t see his facial expression considering I was behind him, but I couldn’t look away from Yano even if I wanted to.

The shifter kept trembling and it literally looked like he was having a seizure before his entire frame tensed up and his head lifted upwards, as light came from his eyes and his mouth. The light itself was dark at first, a contrast from the light Hojoon was letting off, but slowly, it began to match Hojoon’s.

Once they were the same, Yano gasped and shuddered before Hojoon let him go, and the younger collapsed on the floor. I watched as the boy just passed out, the light surrounding him disappearing as he lost consciousness. Hojoon was still glowing, but he dropped down right after the boy.

Hojoon’s light didn’t disappear, so the hallway was still illuminated. I looked up, taking in everyone’s facial expression. They all looked surprised, save for Xero who looked pissed. Kidoh, who had been working at Xero’s icicles despite the spectacle that had just happened, finally got through and took Xero off guard.

The ice wizard looked rightfully surprised when Kidoh’s sword began heading for him, and he had nowhere to go and no ice to protect him. I wanted to scream out in fear because it definitely looked like Kidoh was going to kill the ice wizard, but I was still in shock. Kidoh’s ice went through Xero’s body and my eyes widened.

Everyone was frozen as they stared, but I noticed that Xero wasn’t bleeding. He was literally impaled on Kidoh’s sword, but nothing was coming out, not even when Kidoh removed his sword. Kidoh didn’t look surprised at all, not even when Xero began laughing.

As the ice wizard laughed, his skin began to crack. It started off at where Kidoh had stabbed him, but it spread quickly until Xero’s entire body looked like a cracked mirror. Kidoh took a step away and Xero’s body fell apart, falling to the ground making soft tinkling noises. I could only stare, wondering what the hell had just happened. 


	9. Chapter 9

As it turns out, Yano had been the only one here. Kidoh had explained to me that Xero hadn’t been here at all, merely a spell he’d learned here in school. When we checked Mrs. Kim’s room, the woman was asleep and completely unaware of what had happened. We took Hojoon and Yano a few doors down so they could be checked on, and I was still dazed as P-Goon explained.

“Hojoon, if you haven’t already realized, is a light wizard. He can illuminate things, which is what you saw in the hallway, but he can also bring people back from the darkness. Ever since the others went dark, Hojoon had been practicing. It’s a really hard thing to learn and it takes a lot out of Hojoon, it’s even worse if they fight.” The dragon explained.

My mind was spinning, but I was trying to take everything in. “If he’s a light wizard, why couldn’t he light up the room completely?” I asked. “He’s been planning on bringing the others back and I think he saw the chance.

“Like I said, it takes a lot out of you, so he could only do so much before he got his chance to bring Yano back.” That was Nakta this time. I turned to him and noted that he was tending to A-Tom, gently bandaging the younger knight up.

“So, they weren’t stalling, they were testing us?” I asked slowly. Seogoong, who was sitting beside Yano, nodded. “I think they were. They know we’re strong, and they wanted to see what we’d been learning. They used Xero and Yano because Xero could send an image of himself and Yano could shift. They don’t know about Hojoon’s ability because he learned it after they left.

“Xero’s most likely already informed the others of this, and they’re going to be wary now.” Seogoong finished. “But they’ll still come, and they’ll come with everything they’ve got,” Kidoh said. He was pretty banged up, but he had denied any help, instead choosing to take care of himself.

“What do we do?” I was at a loss. I was just a prodigy who had gotten too deep in something that had been going on for a while. What could I possibly do to help? “We can’t worry about that right now. We have to make sure that Hojoon is okay, and that his spell worked.” P-Goon shot a pointed look at the two unconscious members in the room.

It didn’t take Hojoon long to wake up at all. He complained about a headache, but other than that, he was just tired. I took it upon myself to sit next to him on his bed and properly strangle him, affectionately of course. I had been so worried for his wellbeing, afraid that maybe he had pushed too hard, that he hadn’t been ready. I was glad he was awake.

Hojoon naturally complained about me touching him, but he didn’t push me away, so that was a plus. It took Yano a little longer to wake up, but when he did, he looked confused. Seogoong was the first person he saw, and his face lit up like it was Christmas day.

Seogoong barely had time to catch the younger shifter, but he did a pretty good job as Yano took it upon himself to curl up in the older shifter’s lap, making humming noises as he did so. “I missed you Seogoong hyung!” Yano exclaimed, looking up at Seogoong. The older shifter huffed, but hugged him back anyway.

When P-Goon cleared his throat, Yano tensed up, but Seogoong tightened his hold on the younger, making him relax. “P-Goon hyung,” Yano said, his tone hesitant. The dragon looked the shifter over, his expression blank as he did so. “What is Jenissi planning?” he asked, staring Yano down. Yano looked rightfully nervous, even Seogoong couldn’t keep him calm.

“I don’t know.” The boy replied after a while. P-Goon continued to stare him down as if he didn’t believe him. “Really! I don’t. When you’re dark, things are kind of,” Yano paused, looking for a word that would fit, “fuzzy. We think differently and our emotions seem to be the running force, the reason for everything. We just do what we want because we know no one can stop us.

“Jenissi hyung just wants his dongsaengs to be happy. Sangdo hyung wants the same thing and lets him do what he wants. Hyung is just, really angry.” Yano explained, his brows furrowed. I could tell that he was telling the truth, and obviously P-Goon realized that as well.

“So, they don’t have a plan?” Kidoh asked. “I, I’m not sure. Jenissi hyung wanted us to come here, but he didn’t really say why. He just told me to go, to mess with you guys, so I did. He didn’t give us a real reason to come here.” Yano replied.

“Yano, where are they located?” Nakta asked. Yano frowned and it looked like he was thinking really hard before he shook his head. “I couldn’t tell you. We never stay in one place, it gets too boring. Whenever any of us want a change in pace, we leave. We didn’t really have a direction. They’ve probably already left the most recent spot because I know about it.” P-Goon nodded, taking in the information.

After that, we left so Yano could get some rest. Seogoong stayed with the younger shifter, mostly because Yano wouldn’t let him go. I took it upon myself to go to my room, Hojoon right behind me. He still looked tired and the minute he laid down, he was asleep. I figured it’d be best to do the same. Even if I hadn’t done much, my chest still hurt from Yano’s kick.

He had knocked the air out of me. Nakta had looked me over before I left even though I assured P-Goon I was sore, but not seriously hurt. He ignored me and made Nakta check anyway, but I was fine, I just needed sleep. I crawled into my bed, hoping my mind would stop whirling with the events that had happened earlier. It took a while, but eventually I fell asleep.


	10. Chapter 10

_I was dreaming again. I knew it because of the familiar darkness and the feeling that came with it. Instead of freaking out or calling for anyone, I found myself walking around, looking for Hansol. I found him soon enough, but instead of the fetal position, he was lying on his back, a tormented expression on his face. It wasn’t as bad as last time, but I could tell that he was having nightmares all the same. Instead of bothering him, I waited for Jenissi to appear._

_Just when it seemed like he wouldn’t, a figure emerged from the darkness. Jenissi was wearing a black buttoned up dress shirt. His pants were white and I saw silver chains hanging by his thighs. On his feet were dark black boots that almost blended in to the darkness surrounding us._

_Jenissi looked significantly calmer and he didn’t say a word as he entered my line of vision. “Hello Jenissi.” I greeted politely. Jenissi looked at me, his bottomless gaze quite unnerving despite the slightly calm aura around him. “Prodigy.” He replied curtly._

_“You know, my name is Byungjoo.” I informed him. “I know. Hansol told me.” he replied, tilting his head to the side as he looked at his younger brother. “How’s Yano?” he asked, catching me off guard. “He’s good now.” I replied._

_“I know what he is. That wasn’t my question.” Jenissi shot back, his calm aura almost disappearing. “He’s okay. He’s happy to see Seogoong.” I wanted to be honest, Jenissi seemed harmless in his questioning. When the older male nodded and didn’t ask anything else, I got curious._

_“Why did you send Yano there?” I asked. Jenissi hummed softly and rolled his shoulders. “He missed Seogoong.” He replied simply. I stared at the shifter in shock and just a bit of confusion. Wait. “You knew Yano would change back.” I wasn’t sure why my tone was accusing, but I couldn’t take it back. Jenissi didn’t care._

_“Nothing’s ever certain prodigy. I knew Yano wanted to be with Seogoong. He may have fell with us, but his heart was with him. So, I gave him what he wanted.” Jenissi shrugged right after, as if he hadn’t just blew my mind._

_I looked at Jenissi, really looked at him, and I could tell that all he wanted was for the ones he cared for to be happy. He wanted to protect Hansol and did so by taking him away from his abusive parents. When that didn’t work completely, he made plans to get rid of his parents._

_He wanted Gohn to find peace, and he knew Gohn would be happy if Hansol was, courtesy of being a big brother and his guardian. He wanted Yano to be happy, and sent him away, knowing that there was a chance Yano wouldn’t come back._

_Jenissi just wanted those around him to be happy, and he was doing what he thought was best. I thought about what Jiwon said to me before we left his room, about how everyone has some good in them, no matter what. Jenissi had a lot of it, and I saw it now._

_“What are you planning?” I asked, awed by my revelations of Jenissi. The dark shifter looked at me, one eyebrow lifting. He smiled slightly, shrugging his shoulders. “Plans are so boring, that’s for you and yours. Me? I’m all about surprises. I just want to go out with a bang.” He grinned and the shadows behind him flickered, his lion beginning to form. Curious, and with nothing else to do, I asked._

_“Why does your shadow do that?” Jenissi didn’t seem surprised by my question at all, but instead of answering, he sat down next to Hansol. Once he was seated, he pulled Hansol towards him until the young wizard’s head was on Jenissi’s outstretched thigh. Hansol’s tormented expression changed into a more peaceful one._

_“All shifter’s do that. When we get good control of it. For some it’s there naturally, but most times it appears in emotional situations. That or when we call on it.” He explained, running his fingers through Hansol’s hair. I don’t know why, but I felt just a bit envious._

_“Can you actually change into a lion?” I asked. Jenissi looked up and smiled, all predator, before he answered. “I can, but you wouldn’t want me to. Shifters may choose the shape of a certain animal, but the size is something else.” In that moment, I decided I never wanted to see any shifter transform, ever. Freaky shadows were good enough for me._

_“What is he dreaming about?” I decided to change the subject. It’s my fault we were here, so why not get the best from it. “He dreams about a lot of things,” Jenissi’s voice was significantly softer and I noticed his voice changed like that anytime he was talking about any of his dongsaengs._

_“His mother still haunts him, but he dreams about other things. Lately, it’s been you.” My eyes widened at that piece of information and I got nervous. Jenissi tended to take out whatever stressed Hansol out and I’m sure I’d definitely been the cause of his stress quite a few times. Jenissi’s laugh took me out of my thoughts._

_“It’s nothing bad prodigy. Quite the opposite actually, he dreams about what life would be like if you two could be friends.” “We could be friends now.” I replied. Jenissi hummed, his fingers still going through Hansol’s hair. “He doesn’t know that.” Jenissi replied._

_“You know, you don’t have to kill Mrs. Kim.” I was hesitant as I spoke, unsure of how Jenissi’s emotions worked. More often than not, he seemed unhinged, but there was still always that detachment. Right now, he seemed peaceful, content, and I didn’t want to mess that up._

_“Yes I do.” The shifter replied, and I could tell he had thoroughly convinced himself it was the right thing to do. As I mulled over everything I’d learned in this dream, a thought occurred to me._

_“Are you awake?” I asked. Jenissi blinked, his gaze settling on me. “What?” “Well, Seogoong hyung told me Hansol can bring you, and Gohn, into any dream he’s in, but he never mentioned if you had to be awake or not. And if so, where is Gohn?” I asked. Jenissi chuckled, thoroughly amused, but I didn’t know why._

_“I’m asleep prodigy. Dongsung is awake otherwise he’d be here too. The same applies to the last dream. Dongsung and I don’t sleep at the same time. In fact, we’ll probably be waking up soon.” He murmured thoughtfully. As if someone had heard him, Jenissi and Hansol began to fade out. “I was right,” he said, sounding pleased with himself._

_“Jenissi!” he looked up, brows furrowing at my tone. “Killing isn’t the only option.” I didn’t know what else to say, but I just wanted him to know that. The shifter laughed softly and I could hear his voice echoing around in my head even as I woke up._

_“That’s true prodigy, but it’s all I know how to do.”_


	11. Chapter 11

When I woke up, it was to complete silence. I frowned, turning to look at Hojoon’s bed. It was empty. I stared at it for a moment before deciding to clean myself. I had been through a lot yesterday and my chest still hurt. Upon entering the bathroom, I heard someone dry heaving.

Whoever it was, they left the door open to their stall and as I went to check on them, I saw it was Hojoon. I called out to him and the older wizard fell back so I could see his face. I was very shocked when I saw that his face had dark black lines on them.

When I got closer to him, I saw that it was his veins that were doing that, and it was all over his body. I didn’t know what to do, and when I offered to get help, Hojoon grabbed my hand tightly. I felt like it would break, but I held on as tightly as I could, wondering what I could do for the other.

As it turns out, I didn’t need to do anything. As his grip tightened on my hand, the coloring in his veins slowly drained out until he looked completely normal, but extremely tired. “Are you okay? What was that?” I asked when the older stopped trying to break my hand.

Hojoon coughed a little before answering me. “That was Yano’s darkness.” He coughed again and I pulled him closer to me, wanting to comfort him in some way. “There’s multiple reasons why bringing someone back from the dark is so dangerous. One reason is because most times, they don’t want to come back to the light, so they resist.

“Yano resisted yesterday, but he didn’t try very hard. Another is because of the energy it takes to do such a thing. My power could’ve ran out during the process and instead of things stopping cleanly, his darkness would’ve overtaken us both. The last reason is what happens after you save someone. When I removed Yano’s darkness, it had to go somewhere, and it’s the light wizard’s duty to bring it into them.

“A few things can happen because of that. One would be, the darkness would overwhelm them and make them go dark, or drive them insane. However, I was strong enough to get over that, I just had to get it out, which is what you walked in on, but I was almost done anyway.” He explained patiently, his coughing fit long gone.

I rubbed his back gently before helping him stand up. He was a bit wobbly at first, but I was there to hold him up. “You’re really strong hyung,” I said, truly amazed by his ability. Hojoon snorted as he got control of his balance. “Yano is young, so it was easy to bring him back. The others won’t be so easy. What did you come in here for?” he asked suddenly.

For a minute, I blanked out, but it came back to me. Hojoon waved me off when I offered to take him back to the room. He told me to go along with what I’d been doing. I was unsure, but he seemed to be fine, so I let him go.

Two hours later and I was standing in front of Yano. The boy was all childlike smiles and stillness. He reminded me of a doll considering the smoothness of his face and how he had yet to move. “You may be a conductor in training, but you need to learn how to defend yourself. Jenissi, Gohn, and Sangdo will not go easy on you, no matter what. They have a goal and they’ll do whatever it takes to reach it.

“Seeing as most of them are shifters, I want you to learn how to deal with them. You won’t have to worry about Sangdo hyung. P-Goon hyung will deal with him. Are you ready?” Seogoong asked.

I had barely nodded my head before Yano was gone, disappearing in a poof. I noticed that the wisps of smoke he left behind were no longer black in color, and it reminded me of a cloud.

I probably shouldn’t have been mulling over that because a second later, Yano was in my face. I barely had enough time to get out of the way of his swing before he had disappeared again. “You’re distracted, stop thinking and focus!” that was Kidoh. The knight was pacing back and forth, watching us.

I nodded and did as I was told, prepared when Yano appeared again. I didn’t hit him, but I was awfully close and Kidoh made a pleased sound. Our training session went on like this, with Kidoh throwing in pointers to help me.

I could tell that although we were sparring, Yano took this seriously. Every swing he landed on me, he got me way more than I would ever be able to get him, was painful and precise.

When Kidoh finally let me have a break, I properly flopped down on top of Hojoon. The light wizard didn’t comment, so I settled in and watched the next session. It was A-Tom and Kidoh against Seogoong and Yano. Nakta was the referee and once the session started, I couldn’t look away. Both wards went all out, doing their best to get the upper hand.

Seogoong and Yano worked really well together despite the fact that Yano hadn’t been around for quite some time. A-Tom and Kidoh worked well together too and I noticed their fighting style was similar. Which meant Nakta was the only knight with a separate fighting style.

Yano was definitely the more aggressive one of the two shifters, but Seogoong was stronger, and both knights knew that. The two shifters moved around the knights and at one point, Kidoh misjudged where Yano would appear. Yano appeared behind him and hit him so hard I wondered if the shifter had forgotten they were just sparring.

However, Kidoh moved with it and flipped so he was still standing. He didn’t seem to be in any pain, instead smirking at the young shifter and taunting him. It didn’t bother Yano in the least, but he went after the other knight all the same. We spent the rest of the day sparring against each other, and the others took their time showing me things the others might use in case I had to go against them. It was a good idea.


	12. Chapter 12

Although I knew the others would be coming, I had never taken into consideration how they would arrive. I mean, I thought they’d choose to sneak in or something like that, but I was reminded of what Jenissi had said to me in my dream. He wanted to go out with a bang, and sneaking into the academy wouldn’t do that. Instead, they started it off with a bang, and no one was expecting it.

This time, it was around four pm and classes were over. The seven of us were seated in Seogoong’s dorm, just talking. Of course, we were aware that danger was approaching, but we couldn’t live our lives in fear because of that.

It had been shortly after Seogoong had told us an embarrassing story concerning P-Goon and Nakta when we heard a roar. It wasn’t a sound that belonged to a lion shifter, or any other shifter.

I was confused and maybe a little terrified, something I would tell no one. However, P-Goon seemed very aware, as if he’d heard this sound before, Yano looked the same way.

The others shot up right after P-Goon and rushed towards the window, where the sound was coming from. Outside, we couldn’t see anything at first until a blast of blue flames shot down from out of the sky.

“What the fuck?” I was a bit shocked, hence the vulgarity, but no one seemed to notice. “It’s time.” P-Goon sounded solemn as he turned and nodded at the others. “Who is that?” I asked as Seogoong put his hand on my shoulder. I barely heard P-Goon’s voice over the noise of Seogoong and Yano transporting us.

However, when we ended up outside, I could see who it was. Sangdo was in the air, very literally flying, and he was burning everything. I couldn’t see his face from here, but I could tell he saw us when he suddenly tilted so he was diving downwards.

He hit the ground hard and I had to cover my face to block the dust and dirt that had surfaced from his impact. When the air cleared, I saw Sangdo standing there, and he wasn’t alone although no one had been there beforehand. Gohn and Xero were standing on either side of Sangdo, all of them holding matching expressions of amusement and anticipation.

“Long time no see,” Xero said, but it seemed more like that had been directed at Yano who didn’t meet Xero’s gaze. “Where’s Jenissi and Hansol?” Kidoh demanded. “Don’t worry about them, you’ve already got your hands full with us.” Gohn replied calmly.

“Sangdo, don’t do this.” P-Goon had a pleading tone in his voice, but the other dragon didn’t seem to care. Instead, he smirked, tilting his head to the side. “Let’s play hyung,” the dragon said, rolling his shoulders and clenching his fists.

P-Goon sighed, but he had no other choice. “I’ll deal with him, find the other two.” P-Goon demanded before he shot into the air, Sangdo following him immediately.

As they raced off, Kidoh turned towards Gohn and Xero. “Seogoong, Yano, you two deal with Xero. Nakta and I will deal with Gohn, and you three need to find Jenissi and Hansol.” Kidoh ordered, getting sounds of agreement from everyone.

Seogoong and Yano didn’t waste any time as they disappeared, only to appear in front and behind Xero, immediately teleporting him to the other side of the field. Kidoh and Nakta moved towards Gohn, who, surprisingly didn’t shift away, instead choosing to fight them head on.

With those two busy, A-Tom, Hojoon, and I ran off, looking for the missing brothers. However, actually getting out of the field was harder than I thought it would be. The dragons in the air, Sangdo more than P-Goon, didn’t seem to care about who their fire hit.

That meant a lot of blue flames nearly singed us, but A-Tom seemed to know when it was coming and quickly directed us away until we were back in the building. Shortly after, we raced towards the medical ward, knowing that Mrs. Kim was their target.

Everything was unusually quiet as we moved towards the dorm she stayed in, and I realized that something wasn’t right when we saw her door was already open. The room was void of human life, but nothing seemed amiss.

It didn’t look like Mrs. Kim had been forced out of the room, so where was she? We decided to backpedal, and go back to the field where the others were. I was hoping Mrs. Kim had hid herself or something, but I had a feeling that wasn’t the case.

It wasn’t until we got back out on the field that we realized that it definitely wasn’t the case. Everyone on land seemed to be in a standstill and as we got closer, the reason became obvious. Jenissi and Hansol were there, and Jenissi had a tight grip on Mrs. Kim, who looked rightfully terrified.

Kidoh had Xero in his arms, holding him in a similar fashion to how Mrs. Kim was being held. Seogoong, Yano, and Gohn were nowhere to be seen. Hansol noticed us first, and it didn’t take long before Jenissi was aware that we were there.

“So nice of you to join the party,” Jenissi greeted, turning so all of us were in his sight.  I took a step forward, pausing when Jenissi made a tsking noise. “Don’t do that prodigy, I actually kind of like you.” He commented.

“Just, let her go.” I wanted to reason with him, show him that he didn’t have to kill her, I just had to figure out how. “You don’t have to kill her to get her out of Hansol’s life.” “Oh yeah? Then what do I do? Enlighten me.” Jenissi demanded, seeming quite amused to play along.

“She can leave town, hell, she can leave the country, and never return. Life’s not all about killing Jenissi.” The dark shifter seemed to mull over my words.

For a moment, I thought he was seriously thinking it over, until he laughed. I don’t know what he was going to say, if he was going to say anything at all, because a second later Seogoong was there, grabbing Mrs. Kim and disappearing.

Jenissi didn’t even have time to react to Seogoong’s actions before A-Tom was throwing his sword at the shifter. However, he did have time to move out of the way of that, his hand grabbing Hansol’s wrist before the two were gone. At the same time, Sangdo flew over, a blast of flames heading directly for where Jenissi had been standing a moment before.

His flames seemed to have a combustive component to it, causing those closest to it to be flung backwards. I hit the ground hard, my back getting most of the impact, but my head wasn’t that safe either.

I felt like I couldn’t move at all, but I struggled until I was sitting up. I looked around, ignoring the bright flames that had turned back to red. I couldn’t see much considering the flames seemed to be surrounding me the most, but I saw the silhouette of someone.

I thought that it was A-Tom at first, until they jumped over the flames, landing in a crouched position. Xero stood up slowly, his face completely void of all emotion. He took slow, measured steps towards me, and I scooted away. Something was off about Xero, but I couldn’t tell what it was. He smiled as he moved towards me, and I felt the air getting colder.

“Xero, don’t do this.” I wasn’t sure if that would work at all, but I had to try something. I didn’t want to die, I still had to find a way to bring the others back to the good side. Xero didn’t seem to care about my blabbering, instead choosing to close his hand into a fist, his ice covering it until he had a frozen dagger covering his hand. He was going to kill me.

I prepared myself to attack, remembering what the others had taught me not too long ago. However, it appeared that was unnecessary because right before I was about to test out that spinning kick Kidoh had walked me through, Hojoon was there.

He had come from behind Xero, so the other didn’t notice him until Hojoon spoke up. When he heard the light wizard call his name, he whirled around, only for Hojoon to grab both sides of his head. 


	13. Chapter 13

I could only watch as Hojoon began the process of cleansing Xero. However, instead of things going smoothly like it did with Yano, Xero was fighting back, and much harder than the shifter had. Yano had a reason to come back, he had Seogoong, but Xero didn’t have anyone on the good side he was as close to as he was with Hansol.

I knew I would have to do something, especially when Hojoon began trembling instead. I wasn’t sure what to do, but I figured I could talk, I seemed to be good at that. “Jiho, don’t fight it!” I called out to the ice wizard. I wasn’t sure if he heard me, but I had to keep going otherwise Hojoon would go dark.

“I know you think your only friend is Hansol, but that’s not true. We’re all here for you, and we want what’s best for you.” Hojoon wasn’t trembling anymore and Xero’s frame began to glow. “I know you think you’re doing what’s best for Hansol, but do you really want Hansol to be separated from his family? Killing Mrs. Kim isn’t the right route. You can help Hansol, just by being there for him, not encouraging him to kill.”

Xero’s head tilted upwards and light began coming out of his eyes and mouth. “Come back to us, we’re here for you, and we always will be.” Xero gasped and shuddered before Hojoon let him go, allowing the ice wizard to collapse after his light had matched with his.

Hojoon fell to his knees and I rushed to his side, making sure he was okay. Hojoon coughed and waved his hand. “I’m fine,” he coughed again, but allowed me to help him up. “Thank you. I didn’t think he would fight back so much.” Hojoon’s voice was a bit hoarse and I nodded, looking the light wizard over.

“Don’t you need rest?” I was worried for his wellbeing. Yano’s darkness had made him sick and he had barely even fought the light wizard. Xero, he had fought, and it must’ve been taking its toll on the older. Hojoon waved me off again. “I have to do this, if I don’t, then we’ll lose all of them.” “If you keep going, we’ll lose you.” I replied.

Hojoon smiled as he turned towards me. His eyes were dark, but I could still see the good in him. “I’m not going anywhere, I promise. But if I don’t cleanse them all now, we’ll lose them forever.” I nodded and helped him up, noticing that the flames surrounding us had died out, probably because of Xero. Hojoon needed my help moving towards the others, and I was more than willing, wanting nothing more than for this to be over with.

Hojoon’s next target was Gohn, which was understandable. The dark shifter was surrounded for the most part. He had to deal with A-Tom, Yano, and Nakta. Seogoong was nowhere to be seen and Kidoh was dealing with Jenissi. P-Goon and Sangdo were still in the air, making quite a mess.

A-Tom saw us coming and he grabbed Gohn’s right arm with Nakta grabbing his left, forcing the shifter on his knees. Yano looked nervous as he pressed down on the older shifter’s shoulders, keeping him from moving and shifting away.

My main job was keeping Hojoon standing. The two knights and Yano took care of consoling the shifter who fought much harder than Xero and Yano combined. If Gohn was this difficult to bring back, then the other three would be even more difficult, especially Jenissi.

It didn’t take long before Hojoon and Gohn were emitting light that matched, and the light wizard let the shifter go. I kept Hojoon up and Yano had a tight grip on the unconscious shifter. Both knights looked at Hojoon with worried expressions, but he was determined to help his friends, and they weren’t going to stop him. Instead, they moved over to help Kidoh who was just barely handling Jenissi. Hansol had disappeared.

I got Hojoon back on his feet as Yano shifted Gohn away. I saw him appear by where Xero was laying and I knew the young shifter would take care of them. I was more worried about the knights. They may have had Jenissi beat in numbers, but it seemed like the shifter was playing with them, stalling. I didn’t understand why until there was a loud roar from above us, and it was filled with pain.

Everyone’s attention was diverted upward where we saw the two dragons falling. The two were holding each other as they went down and I had a very bad feeling about it. Sangdo was the one who let go first, but P-Goon kept falling and I could tell something was wrong with him.

P-Goon hit the ground hard, raising dust and dirt as he did so. Sangdo, who was still flying, chose that time to shoot flames at P-Goon’s limp body until we couldn’t see the older dragon at all.

I hesitated, debating on whether I should check on P-Goon, or take Hojoon to Jenissi. The decision was made for me when Hojoon squeezed my arm and nodded towards the pit of fire P-Goon was in. “Sangdo will come down, and we need to, stop him.” Hojoon coughed in between his sentence, but I knew what he meant, and slowly brought the older male there.

While I was doing that, Sangdo circled around the pit he made before he dropped down, completely ignoring our existence as he stared at it. In that moment, I wanted to know what he was thinking, but that would have to wait for multiple reasons.

The main reason was P-Goon suddenly emerging from the flames, completely unharmed, as he grabbed Sangdo and forced him down on his knees. Sangdo looked surprised and completely caught off guard. “You’re losing your touch Sangdo. Fire cannot kill a dragon.”

And with that, he maneuvered Sangdo so he couldn’t move away from Hojoon who was ready. Surprisingly, Sangdo didn’t fight that hard. I wasn’t sure if it was because P-Goon had tired him out, or if Sangdo just didn’t want to fight, but it was much easier than the others. Now all that was left was Jenissi and Hansol.


	14. Chapter 14

As P-Goon laid Sangdo down, I was caught off guard when I heard music, familiar music at that. I turned around surprised to see Hansol had returned. He was standing in front of Jenissi, protecting the other maybe, with his center surrounding him.

The three knights and Yano were standing a little away from him, obviously caught off guard by him suddenly calling on his center. Hansol had obviously learned some things while he was away, because the ground in front of his opponents began tearing up, forcing the others to back away. Jenissi watched for a moment before disappearing in a wisp of smoke, assured that Hansol could handle himself.

I knew that this was where I could really help out. I could only do so much with the others considering my magic called for me to remain still, and that would’ve gotten me killed. Hansol’s magic, I could work with.

I left Hojoon in P-Goon’s care, quickly moving to stand in front of my friends who most likely didn’t know what to do with Hansol’s magic. When Hansol saw me, his expression didn’t change, he looked completely detached, even when I summoned my own center.

Something about Hansol was different, he was more confident in his ability. He didn’t have anyone breathing down his neck, demanding more than perfection. This Hansol had full control of himself and his center, and he knew it.

I definitely felt the pressure this time as Hansol destroyed everything around us. It was kind of beautiful really, the way the things he tore from the ground floated around us along with the lightning he definitely had more control over.

I did my best to fix what he was tearing apart as well as actually beat him, but I had a feeling the outcome wouldn’t be the best. Behind me, I could hear commotion and I could only guess Jenissi had returned with a vengeance.

Hansol’s music had quite the impact on me and I could feel the coldness creeping on me. Considering the last few times we’d battled, he always lost, I never got to feel his music. Now that I could, I didn’t like it.

It sounded beautiful, but it was dangerous and it was taking over, consuming me. I hadn’t truly realized how Hansol’s detachedness to his art effected his music until now.

Somewhere behind me, I heard someone yell for me to watch out. I hesitated, unsure if it’d be best for me to stop my center and figure out what was happening behind me, which would make it so Hansol would definitely get the upper hand, or keep going and protect myself? I knew that at the slightest hesitation, Hansol would take advantage and it’d be over for me.

I didn’t get a choice in the matter and I heard a shattering noise. Belatedly I realized it was someone’s sword going through my spheres. It just barely missed my arm, and it kept going. My spheres hadn’t deterred it in the least, and it was heading straight for Hansol who looked a mixture of surprised and confused. I couldn’t do anything, and neither could he, as the sword lodged itself in his stomach.

Hansol’s center immediately disappeared and Hansol looked confused and intrigued as he looked down at the sword protruding from his stomach. I heard two separate people scream from behind me, a haunting noise that would probably cause me quite a few nightmares.

My center slowly disappeared as Hansol reached for the sword. He looked so lost as he stared down at it, before he fell to his knees. Jenissi was suddenly on his left and Gohn, who I thought was still unconscious, appeared on his right.

Gohn looked afraid to touch his younger brother, instead looking to Jenissi for the answer. Jenissi himself looked a mixture of pained and angry as he held Hansol. Hansol still looked lost as he looked up at his brothers, his hands moving away from the sword and instead falling into his lap.

“No no no, don’t do this. You’re okay Hansol, you’re okay.” Jenissi seemed frantic even as Hansol’s eyes began closing. “It’s okay hyung, I’m not afraid.” Hansol murmured, and I wasn’t sure which shifter he was talking too, but they both seemed extremely unhappy by his confession.

“No, you’re not going to die, don’t sound like you’re going to die.” Gohn replied, moving closer to his younger brother. Jenissi was shaking, trembling really, and his hands were curled into fists. I had no idea what to do and I could only watch as the others moved closer to the three Kim brothers.

It looked like they wanted to console them, but Jenissi wasn’t having it. He whirled on them, snarling angrily until they backed away. “Seogoong, go get her.” I heard P-Goon whisper to the shifter who nodded and disappeared quickly. I had no idea who P-Goon meant, but I hoped it was someone in the medical ward. Hansol needed help immediately.

Jenissi was still shaking and I was starting to get a very bad feeling about it. Gohn was talking to Hansol, encouraging him to stay awake, to focus on him, anything that would keep the younger from losing consciousness.

Hojoon was muttering to himself, and it sounded like he was saying, “This wasn’t what I saw in Jiwon’s vision.” I didn’t know what that meant, and I was too worried about Hansol to really think much on it. Jenissi, who was practically vibrating by now, stood up and turned towards the other members.

He was focusing on one knight in particular. Nakta, who, now that I was paying attention, was missing his sword. “I’m going to fucking kill you!” The older male announced before something happened. 

Jenissi transformed.


	15. Chapter 15

If Jenissi himself was scary, his other form was downright terrifying. I realized now what he meant because he was large, like as tall as the gym building large. He did look like a lion, but his coloring was different. He was completely black in coloring, mane included.

His eyes were a burnt golden that were focused on Nakta and Nakta alone. Honestly, I don’t think the knight stood a chance, and he seemed to realize that as well. It didn’t help that his sword was currently buried in Hansol’s stomach and Jenissi’s claws were basically swords in their own right.

P-Goon immediately took to the sky, and the other two knights went to help their friend. Hojoon had collapsed, most likely overwhelmed from all the darkness he’d taken in, and his job wasn’t even done yet. Yano was standing beside him, doing his best to make sure the other didn’t pass out.

Seogoong reappeared and he wasn’t alone. Mrs. Kim was in his arms and I frowned. I knew she was from the medical ward but less than a few seconds ago she’d been Jenissi’s target. Gohn wouldn’t let her near his brother.

I was right. The minute Gohn saw her, his gaze narrowed and he growled. Although the shifter was no longer dark, that didn’t mean he suddenly liked Mrs. Kim. It was obvious he hated her guts, the shifter didn’t even try to hide it.

The woman flinched, but her eyes were round as she stared at Hansol. “Gohn, you’ve got to let her help him.” Seogoong pleaded. Gohn looked like that was the last thing he wanted to do, but he was fighting himself.

The guardian in him wanted to protect his charge from the person that had a hand in making his life hell, but everything else in him wanted to make sure his brother survived. “Gohn hyung, please.” I blinked in surprise, unaware that Xero had been awake and he’d replaced Jenissi on Hansol’s left side.

“Please, let her help him. He’s dying.” Xero nodded down at Hansol who had his head on Gohn’s shoulder. He was so still.

Gohn only hesitated for another minute before he nodded. “If he dies, I promise you, you’ll follow right after him.” Gohn’s tone was serious and his gaze was steel as he stared at the woman. She nodded and crouched in front of Hansol.

“I need help.” She murmured softly. I moved towards her, willing to do anything to help. I hadn’t been able to do much at all, and I would do my best to make sure Hansol survived. “I need you to take the sword out. Xero-ssi, when he removes it, I need you to put your hand on his back over the wound,” she explained and we both nodded.

I grabbed the sword and Hansol whimpered causing Gohn to growl angrily. I paused, but Mrs. Kim nodded at me.

I did as I was told, terrified of what would happen if I messed up. When the sword was removed, I didn’t know how to feel about all the blood on the sword. I didn’t have much time to think as Xero placed his hand on Hansol’s back, most likely using his power to keep anything from happening.

Mrs. Kim placed her hand on Hansol’s stomach over the wound and a green light came out of it. As she worked, Yano brought Hojoon over. He looked tired but determined and worried. It was definitely easier to bring Hansol back, but I knew I was because Hansol was near death not because he didn’t fight.

Hojoon finished before Mrs. Kim did, but it didn’t take her long either. When she stopped, Gohn pulled Hansol to him, leveling Mrs. Kim with a glare that could kill. Mrs. Kim moved towards Hojoon, trying to ignore the pissed shifter who looked like he wanted to eat her.

“Let me help you.” She murmured, placing her hands on Hojoon’s head. He allowed it and I watched as she healed him. “I need to take all the darkness out of you otherwise it’ll consume you. You wouldn’t stand a chance against Taeyang with this much darkness already in you.” She murmured to the light wizard as she pulled her hands away.

I watched as her expression changed to one of pain, but nothing happened after that. “You aren’t going to turn bad are you?” I asked softly. Mrs. Kim shook her head, glancing up at me. “Light wizards take the darkness into them, but medical wizards heal it. It doesn’t enter our body at all.

“However, unlike a light wizard, I cannot bring a dark one back. However, when Hojoon removes the darkness from Taeyang, I can heal him because he is still a good wizard.” She explained.

Speaking of, Jenissi was making quite the mess as they fought. Jenissi was focused solely on Nakta, but the others continued to take his attention away from the knight, annoying him. I could tell that it was only a matter of time before he ended Nakta’s life.

“How are we going to bring Jenissi back? Can Hojoon do anything for him while he’s like that?” Mrs. Kim shook her head almost immediately. “No. Hojoon can’t help until he’s back in his human form. That’s where Hansol comes in.” she murmured, turning towards said wizard.

Gohn was still holding Hansol, who looked extremely tired, and at the mention of his name, Gohn glared at her again. “You’re not using my brother again.” He growled angrily.

“Gohn, he’s the only one who can calm Jenissi down. She won’t be using him, and she’ll never use him again if we can help it. We just want Jenissi hyung back with us. Don’t you want that?” Seogoong asked, crouching down beside the other shifter. Gohn was hesitant and his grip tightened on his brother.

“You know, as well as I do, that Jenissi will listen to Hansol. And when he does, Hojoon can cleanse them and we can be together again. Right now, Jenissi is the only one who is dark, he’s all alone. You don’t want that do you?” Seogoong was determined to get Gohn to see reason, and I could tell it was working.

“Fine, but I don’t want her near him.” Gohn finally caved, and we agreed. Mrs. Kim was still beside Hojoon anyway, not in Hansol’s direct line of sight. “Hansol, you need to wake up okay?” Hansol groaned, but he didn’t wake up.

“Hansol, you need to wake up right now, it’s not a good time to take a nap.” Xero’s tone was soft but firm and Hansol’s eyes slowly opened. He looked around in confusion, a tired expression controlling his features as he leaned into his older brother. “What’s going on?” he asked softly.


	16. Chapter 16

“Well, Jenissi is going to tear Nakta hyung apart if you don’t tell him to stop.” I explained. The older wizard blinked in confusion before looking behind me where the fighting was going on. His eyes widened in surprise, probably at Jenissi’s form.

“Hansol, listen to me,” I began, getting his attention. “You need to tell Jenissi to stop. We need to bring him back to the good side, you don’t want your brother to be by himself do you?” Hansol shook his head and I kept going.

“Of course you don’t. You have to get him to stop and change back so Hojoon can save him. Then, he won’t be alone and we can live our lives happily.” Hansol stared at me for a moment, before he looked up at Gohn, who smiled in encouragement.

The conductor in training huffed before he stood up, surprisingly stable for someone who had just been impaled. With graceful ease, the wizard walked towards where Jenissi was. The massive shifter had knocked A-Tom out and was currently working on P-Goon who seemed intent on keeping Jenissi away from Nakta. Yano and Seogoong helped Hojoon up, most likely waiting for their chance to bring him to Jenissi.

Hansol stood a good distance away from the destruction Jenissi was making, but I knew the shifter heard his younger brother when he shouted his name. The massive shifter whirled around, probably extremely surprised to see his younger brother alive with no sword protruding from his stomach.

Hansol, who seemed like he was about to scold someone, placed his hands on his hips and frowned. “And just what do you think you’re doing?” he asked his older brother who tilted his massive head as if he didn’t understand.

“You. Here. Now.” Hansol demanded. I realized then that I could never compare to Hansol. Big brother and guardian be damned, Jenissi was a force to be reckoned with and I’d never stand up to him like Hansol was doing.

Jenissi, surprisingly, did as his charge and younger brother demanded, seemingly looking the wizard over as he did so. “Why are you trying to kill Nakta? I’m alive aren’t I?” Jenissi made a noise that sounded like a mix of a whine and a growl, but Hansol didn’t seem bothered by it as he turned in a full circle.

“See, perfectly fine. There was no need to go all massive lion on them now was there? You’re too tall, and I don’t speak demonic lion!” he informed his older brother. That seemed to be code for something because not even a minute later, Jenissi was back in his human form, so Hansol didn’t have to crane his neck.

Jenissi was still looking his brother over and Hansol allowed it, letting Jenissi turn him this way and that. When Jenissi seemed pleased with Hansol’s lack of injury, Hansol started talking again. “Now I know you’re still pissed, and I understand hyung, I do. But we’re all here, good as new. You’re the only one who still has darkness crowding his head.

“How are you going to take care of me when you think about killing people constantly? And don’t tell me you don’t. I was dark just like you two minutes ago. I know what goes through your head.” Hansol informed the older. Jenissi looked flabbergasted as he realized that his little brother was back to normal, but he didn’t look angry.

“Don’t be by yourself hyung. Gohn hyung and I will miss our brother too much, we can’t live without you,” Hansol said as he hugged the older shifter. Jenissi didn’t hug back, but he didn’t push the other away either. He just stood there, allowing Hansol to do as he wished.

“Come back to us, to me,” Hansol said when he pulled away. Jenissi looked lost as he gazed at his younger brother before he sighed. “Whatever you want baby brother.” He murmured. As if those were the magic words, Seogoong transported Hojoon over.

Jenissi turned towards the light wizard and didn’t resist even as his fists clenched. I could tell the darkness was fighting with him. It didn’t want to go, but Jenissi’s duty as a guardian and a big brother was winning the fight.

However, the darkness in him still fought. It took Hansol back hugging the older for his body to relax and allow Hojoon to bring him back to normal. It was amazing to watch really, as Jenissi’s head tilted backwards.

I immediately noted that although it took longer for the light coming out of Jenissi’s body to lose its darkness, his light shone even brighter than Hojoon’s. Instead of collapsing like the others had, Hansol and Gohn were there for their brother, holding the older shifter tightly as they dropped down.

The other members watched the Kim brothers hold each other and I noticed Mrs. Kim standing besides Hojoon. It was likely she had healed the other, but now she was watching the three, tears streaming down her face. I moved towards her, and she didn’t bother wiping the tears away as I stood next to her.

Jenissi was conscious and Hansol took it upon himself to practically strangle his older brother. Jenissi cried out, playfully trying to push the wizard away, grunting when Gohn joined in. “What are you going to do now?” I asked her, our gaze still focused on the three brothers rolling around.

“I’ve always wondered what it’d be like to visit the states.” The woman murmured, turning towards me. “I healed Hansol so he won’t have nightmares anymore, and I know that disappearing would help him even more. I know that our planning was wrong, even if it made such a beautiful boy, and although I’m not sorry, I don’t want him to live in fear.

“He deserves happiness and if me leaving brings it, then that’s what I’ll do. Take care of him won’t you? While I was digging through his dreams he had quite a few about you, ones that seem quite possible.” I could only nod as the woman sent me another smile before she turned and walked away.


	17. Epilogue

A few days later I found myself, once again, in the gym. The others seemed to live in here really. I think it had something to do with the knights, their hobby was sparring so the gym was like a second home to them.

No sparring was going on though, instead, Jenissi was being strangled by Hansol again. The younger had taken it upon himself to barely let either one of his brothers out of his sight, and rarely out of his arms, since Jenissi had been brought back. Jenissi and Gohn didn’t seem to mind the attention, but they liked teasing the young wizard until he went and curled up in Xero’s hold, only for the two shifters to drag him right back.

As expected, Hansol ended up in Xero’s lap, his face as red as Xero’s hair as he ignored his brothers who laughed at him. I was sitting next to Xero, who was actually very good company although he was on the quiet side.

Instead of going for Hansol this time when they returned, they grabbed Xero and I could’ve sworn Gohn winked at me. The other members were doing their own thing and I had been talking to Xero until he ended up in the shifter pile, which left Hansol and I.

The older conductor never seemed to mind me being next to him, and I think he was completely over the rivalry Professor Shim had brought up. “You know,” Hansol began, causing me to turn towards him, “I think we could be good friends.” I wasn’t sure if it was an observation or a proposition, so I took it as the latter.

“Sounds like a good idea. My name is Kim Byungjoo, but everyone calls me BJoo.” I was all smiles and Hansol returned it, his cute baby face lighting up.

“I’m Kim Hansol, everyone calls me Hansol.” I laughed and Hansol did the same. It was the cutest thing in the world. I could definitely see us being friends.

Our blooming friendship was interrupted by Jenissi and Yano shifting beside us. Yano disappeared immediately after with Hansol in his arms. Hansol’s giggling echoed all over the gym as Yano practically dropped Hansol in P-Goon’s lap.

The unsuspecting dragon stared down at the conductor in his lap, one eyebrow raised even as his expression remained blank. “You know,” I turned away from staring at Hansol when I realized Jenissi hadn’t left.

“You break his heart, I’ll break your neck. You’re aware of this right?” I nodded, wide eyed, and Jenissi laughed, hitting my back a lot harder than necessary. “Glad we’re on the same wavelength. Be easy prodigy.”

And with that, Jenissi jumped off the bleachers and dived into the pile on the ground that was rapidly growing in numbers. I watched in amusement, pleased at all the jovial laughter erupting from the pile.

All of us were back together.


End file.
